The Chromatic Honeycomb: A decolonial and relational approach to rethinking colour from matter

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46516/inmaterial.v11.286

Keywords:

Archeochromatic, Colour schemes, Decolonial, Design methodology, Cultural references

Abstract

This article proposes an approach to reinterpreting colour based on matter, territory and experimentation, in the context of a persistent colonial memory in visual systems. The ‘chromatic honeycomb model’ was developed with the aim of establishing a structure distinct from the traditional colour wheel. The model expands chromatic relationships at the quaternary, quinary, senary and septenary levels, articulating material, emotional and cultural interaction. The study articulates analogue mixing tests, chromatic sampling and digitisation of visual references from Tikuna, Emberá Katío and Guane contexts. Through digital experimentation and exploratory pedagogical validation with 90 graphic design students and analytical contrast with artists and teachers of visual arts, a non-extractive and relational ecology of colour is proposed.

The article engages with contemporary debates on colour theory, materiality, visual coloniality and modern design critique, proposing a reflection situated from the South on the relationships between nature and culture, technology and situated knowledge.

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Author Biographies

Absalón Rincón Muñoz, Universidad de Investigación y Desarrollo UDI (Bucaramanga, Colombia)

Graphic designer and Specialist in Advertising Design, with a Master in Audiovisual Scriptwriting. University lecturer with more than 10 years of experience, focused on the critical analysis of territory, co-design, and audiovisual production as tools for narrative and cultural construction. He leads the Paloseco research group within the Graphic Design programme at the Universidad de Investigación y Desarrollo (UDI), where he develops projects that articulate the exploration of colour, audiovisual imagery, and territorial narratives as axes of academic reflection and artistic creation. He has directed and written eight short films derived from research processes, screened at national and international film festivals, consolidating a practice that integrates applied research, aesthetic experimentation, and cultural dissemination.

Cesar Augusto Mateus Medina, Universidad de Investigación y Desarrollo UDI (Bucaramanga, Colombia)

Graphic designer and Master in Education, with more than 13 years of experience as a university lecturer. His professional trajectory focuses on the critical reading of territorial cartographies and on the study of artisanal heritage processes as educational and formative practices, integrating design as a tool for cultural and pedagogical mediation. He leads an incubator research group, where he promotes projects that connect typography as a visual language, editorial composition, and the use of colour in the construction of territorial identities. He has developed multiple training processes in layout design, typographic and editorial design, as well as graphic representation applied to different social and cultural contexts, consolidating an academic practice that links research with creation and design education.

Paola Castro Salazar, Universidad de Investigación y Desarrollo UDI (Bucaramanga, Colombia)

Fashion Designer and Psychologist, holding dual master’s degrees in Neuropsychology and Education, and in Educational Administration. With more than 12 years of experience as a university lecturer, she has focused her work on classroom conflict management, innovation in design teaching methodologies, and the integration of critical perspectives on territory and gender into educational processes. She currently serves as director of the Psychology programme at the Universidad de Investigación y Desarrollo (UDI) and is a researcher in projects exploring territorial narratives and heritage processes centred on clothing as educational and identity-building practices. Her academic and creative production includes art direction and the production of fiction short films derived from research projects, in which she articulates audiovisual language, territorial analysis, and gender studies as axes of reflection and creation.

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Published

2026-06-30

How to Cite

[1]
Rincón Muñoz, A. et al. 2026. The Chromatic Honeycomb: A decolonial and relational approach to rethinking colour from matter. INMATERIAL. Diseño, Arte y Sociedad. 11, 21 (Jun. 2026), 154–177 p. DOI:https://doi.org/10.46516/inmaterial.v11.286.

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 21 (2026): Designing with the World: Towards a New Relationship with Matter II

Section

ORIGINALS RESEARCH ARTICLES

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Copyright (c) 2026 Absalón Rincón Muñoz, Cesar Augusto Mateus Medina, Paola Castro Salazar

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.